Gaza, Dec. 17 (SANA) The Palestinian Civil Defense on Tuesday renewed calls on the international community to take immediate action to provide emergency relief to Gaza, citing widespread destruction caused by recent severe weather.
Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said that since the onset of the latest weather systems, at least 17 people have died, including four children who succumbed to extreme cold, while others were killed in building collapses.
Bassal said more than 17 residential buildings had collapsed completely, while over 90 others suffered severe partial damage, posing a direct threat to the lives of thousands of residents. He added that nearly 90% of shelter centres across the Gaza Strip had been fully flooded by rainwater.
According to Bassal, all tents used as temporary shelters were damaged or submerged, leaving thousands of families without shelter and causing extensive losses of clothing, bedding and basic household items, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
He said Civil Defense teams had received more than 5,000 emergency calls since the storms began.
Bassal stressed that tents had proven ineffective as a shelter solution in Gaza and called on relevant authorities and international organizations to halt their use, urging instead the immediate launch of reconstruction efforts and the provision of safe housing that protects lives and preserves human dignity.
